Wrench



May 17,1927. l1,628,342

J. H. HQRSBURGH l WRENCH Filed Jap. 1v, 1923 INvsNron John HHorsbafy/ ATTORNEYS www Patented May 17, 1927.

UNETED STATES JOHN H. HORSBUBGH, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

WRENCH. f

Application filed January 17, 1323.r Serial No. 613,084.

V'This invention relates to wrenches, and particularly to that class of wrenches having a movable jaw, shittable toward a tixed jaw by means of a handle, actuating an intermediate element having` toothed engage nient with said movable jaw.

The object of my invention is to provide a wrench ot' this character in which the jaws are readily adjustable, one with the other to grip objects ot' varying sizes. One common weakness in wrenches of this class heretofore made is that the parts are apt to be to-o delicate and theretore lack sutlicient strength for their intended use. My structure now to be disclosed overcomes this diiiiculty withoutenlarging the parts, or 1ncreasing their number-in tact, the device is somewhat simplified while its strength is increased.

Another objectl of my wrench construction isto make use of the usual third class lever for the handle member in operating the wrench, while at the same time increasing greatly its leverage and thereby its power, by positioning its iulcrumr much nearer the movable jaw than has been heretoiore thought possible. As well understood in devices ot this class, the tulcrum for the handle lever is situatedwitliin a easing, and diiiiculty has been encountered in mounting the iiulcrum vhigh enough in the' easing to Vprovide a sufficiently shortv arm for the lever without weakening t-he lever. This has arisen trom the tact that the intermediate part or directlyengaging the movable jaw member must be carried by the said lever, loosely and movable thereby, so that the movable jaw can be quicklyadjusted to differentpositions and thus to different sizes of nuts y or pipes. I have succeeded in mountingl the fulcrum 01"' my lever handle as high as desired without interfering with the movement of said intermediate member and without weakening any of the parts.

A further objectoi my improved device, is. to provide the intermediate actuating` part tor the movablejaw in the form ot a slidable dog having a toothed edge engaging the movable aw element, the said toothed edge having twosections continuous, one with the'other, one ot which `is curved on an arc concentric'with the iulcrum of the lever, and the other arranged in a straight line, there being a plurality ot said vlineal teeth -in engagemnt when the nut or pipe to be turned is gripped' by both jaws, .and the said arc Ateeth engaging the jaw'while ad- Justment is being effected. This will be fully explained in the following description,

and especially urged as a feature, further lending great strength and rigidity to the device.

These and other obje-cts volf my invention will appear in connection with the following detailed description thereof, as set forth in the appended claims, and as disclosed in the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a side elevational view ot the wrench with thetace plate removed;

Figure 2 is a section of the wrench taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1;v Y,

Figures 3 and l are sideA elevations and perspective views, respectively, of opposite sides of the face plate;

F igure 5 is a plan view of the device with parts broken away to show a section taken onthe line of F ig.`1; and y Figures 6, 7 and 8 are perspective views ot detailed parts of theinovable jaw and actuating ymeans therefor. v

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughoutv the several views.

1 designates the body part which' is formed as a hollow casing constructed of plates 2 and tlwhich are secured together by rivets It when the parts are assembled. Integral with lplate 2 is the fixed jaw having stepped edges (i and 7 at its lower horizontal, overhanging part, and the usual verticalgrippingfacevS." Plate 3 has an upper proyecting ear r9 which fits under '7.

snugly, and is provided with side ribs 10 which meet corresponding ribs 11 on plate 2 as shown. vBy this construction a hollow casing is provided having a transverse slot 12 and a longitudinal slot 13, the former receiving therein a plate or shank 11i integral with the movable jaw 15 and having a guiding bead lsliding in a groove 17 in the in-v ner tace ot the plate 8, and its upper edge snugly fitting the lower step 6 of jaw 5.

` This groove 17-reaches the edge of plate 3 under .the jaw 5,`but is spaced from the edge of plate' beneathy jaw 15, thus providing a stop 18 againstqwhich the'end 19 of bead 16 strikes in the desired extreme' throw of the shank 14. The latter hasfteeth on later on explained. v A handle member 20 enters, the upper end thereof being provided with yoke arms Q1 lwhich are connected together and strength` ened by a web 22 integral therewith. @es this web is thinner than the arms, a socket 23 is thus formed for receiving` therein an actuating dog 24 later to be described.

Since the socket 23 is designed to control Vthe dog 2li very accurately, even. when the latter is movable longitudinally of the hanjacent to its upper edge, is a pin 25 integral with said web and designed to serve as the fuleruin of the llever 20. fin aperture 26 is made in the kplate or wall 2 of the body poition to .receive Vthis pin, and is positioned as elose to the shank le as possible, without incurring the disadvantage oi? anyrr por ion ot' the lever contacting with the shank when the lever swings laterally as far lie'ends of the ribs l0 and 1l on the .plates or walls 2 and 3 of the body. y

The actuating dog,before referred to, is Va fiat metal plate having straight edges terminating at one lend in a curve 28 fitting acenrately the crrve 27 of the socket. The oping the arms of the lever means for-positionii'ig the third class.

posite end. of the dog is provided with teeth adapt-ed to register with teeth 29 on the shank of the movable jaw member, whenA Vthe parts are in engagement. The parts 27 and 28 are normally separated by the pressure of theV compression spring 30 seated in sockets in the dog and lever as shown clearly in Figs. 1 and 2. holds the toothed portion of the dog norf mally in engagement with the rack teeth 29, Vthough it will be noted that the maj-or portion of the dog will, in all eases, lie in concent lits teeth rising above the fuleruin ane forming the short armoit this lever of the This construction provides a 1 very powerful leverage, smeet-lie;` toothed 'ai-ni is so short relative to the long aiim or handle thereof. it has been considered difficult to attain heretofore, 'because ofthe danger of splittling the legs or arms (of, the part enclosing the other, whether Such arms are on the dog or the. lever. But this latter the ditli'cnlty I have obviated `by providir i; web 22, as before-explained, both strengiA ionand providing a fnlci'uin close to the raek29.

Fixed to the dog and1 on. the side `thereof opposite't-he pin 25., but eoneentric. therewith,

' is a pin 3l, having an enlarged end 32 which t is designed to protrude through the elon gatedslot 33 in the plateA 3, whereby .pressursJ applied to 32, against the force ofthe main Tie latter construction.

spi-ing 30, may disengage the dog'from the shank, and thus separate theV teeth on the dog from rack teeth'29. The said-'slot 33 is elongated vertically and is also widened at base, as shown clearly in Figs. 3 and i. di on an arc 34- eonoentric with'the pin 3l and oneratingin much the saine manner as a u 'einent with the rack 29 when greatest pwer v straight and designated,by-,numeral 35 (see Fig. 7) and'tliei'ehy,provides for uti- 'Y' rra plurality; of teeth in engaging said 29, when great power is needed moet..

twill thus be seen that'the are section in engagementv with the rack when'the handle in the dotted line position in Fig. brit the .ineal section in nse when the handleis in its position shown in vfnll lines of sai@ J their to `be notedthat the pin'25 is positioned somewhat lateral of the midpoint of the width of said web 22, for the purpose of providing a common radins for. the said of ihe'drawing show are. Figs. Yl and 8 clearly also that' the yolre endA ofthelevei is shifted somewhat Vlaterally otV its leifi'gth,l

'so that'the pin and fuleruin 25, are not in alineinent with the if latter condition resulting trein the vsaine canse. While it was stated heretofore that the pinl is concentric with pin 257 this to permit unobstructed movement of piny ther the dog 2liearryingvsuch teeth onthe' shank .le form a con` f e for adjustine'ntoi the movable jawto nei-ent sizes of nuts or pipes being curved see-tor, while the toothed section in en- K is exerted in applying twisting strain,V i

iesV

the handle, the

.is only true when the dog 2e is in its normal Y position in the socket 23 by reason Aof the upward pressure of the spring 30. "i'VhenV a" downward thrust is given to the partl, as l vbefore explained, the latter part will of course descend into the socket andout ofv alineinent with Vthe fulcruni of thelever.

It will be evident-that the automatic np-VV ward thrust of the dog-,i by reason o'tsaid spring will enable the teeth on the latter to slip past the rack teeth 29, especially it.

such teeth are ofthe ratchet type, and 'a new grip on` the shank Vmay thus be attained whereby the movablej aw l5 will be adjusted for 4engaging a. smaller" object.-Y lf the wrenchvis intended for use npon polygonal parts sneh as nuts, Vor the lilre-,it is often'. quite vdesirable to provide the left hand side.

ofthe yoke end-of th'elever with acompression spring as shown in Fig. 8V to normally hold the handle in the dotted line position of Fio. l. lt, however, 1t is designed to use my wrench upon pipes, in plumbing, it will then be y'found expedient to mount the said spring upon the right hand side of said yoke end to normally .hold the lever in the ,tull line position otFig. l. r' lso, in such use, it will also be desired to provide both jaws 5 and l5 with gripping teeth, as well understood in such art. Such toothed construction and the reversal ot the spring 37,'as above explained, is so common and so elementary in this artthat it is not thought essential to illustrate the same, especiall).Y since such slight modification is not now believed to be patentable and no yclaims are herein directed to that Jfeature.

Because of the said oiiset position ot the yoke end ot the lever, the right han-d side ot such end is hollowed out at 36, as shown in l? S, to iit the curved lower end ot the web ll, at the extreme throw ot the handle in the operation oit the device as above described it will readily be seen that it the wrench be held in the hand Vvertically with the jaws extended upwardly, a downward thrust ot' the thumb upon the head 82 will disengage the dog from the rack,` when the movable jaw member will slide loosely in either direction but will be limited in its open position bythe parts 1S and 19. The aws may be positioned about a nut or pipe approximately close to its sides when the handle is in the dotted line position, when releasir-Ql the pin 3l will cause the dog to engage the rack and the usual movement to .the handle 2O will tighten the jaws for a powerful gripping eiect-especially strong in my construction because of the very high position ot the tulcrum 2,5; and this severe strain will not injure the yoke because ot the strengthening web 2Q which is Vintegral with the arms 21. l

Other advantages of my invention will be apparent to those who are skilled in the art to which is appertains. i

Having thus described my invention, and the manner of itsoperation. what l claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent` is.

l. A wrench comprising iixed yand movable jaws.` a handle having spaced'yoke arms integral therewith. ak web integral with said arms, a tulcrum element on saidweb, and' locking means tor the movable jaw adaptedr to be actuated by said arms.

Q. In .a wrench, an actuating member baring spaced yoke arms and an integral web connecting said arms, incombination with a pivot pin mounted on said web.

f3. A. wrench, comprising a iied jaw, a movable jaw, a handle operatively connected wicn the movablev to adjust the latter, and having upwardly extendingv yoke arms at its upper enc., `a web integral with and connecting said arms together, means on said web for pivoting the said handle on the body portiomand means actuated by said yoke armsiior locking the movable jaw in its adjusted position. f j

4. A wrench, comprising a body portion having a iixed jaw, a movable jaw on the body portion, a handle member having yoke arms at one end thereof and a connecting web integral therewith and joining said arms thereby forming an open socket, a pin integral with said web and pivoted in said body portion, and a locking member seated in said socket and actuated byV said vyoke arms and normally interlocking with said movable jaw to maintain the latter in its adjusted position. l

5. fr wrench'comprising a body portion having a iixed jaw, a movablejaw, a handle operatively connected with the movable jaw to adjust the latter and having means thereon adjacent it-s upper edge pivoted on the body portion, yand a locking member slidably mounted on said handle with its-major portion extending'below the pivot etV the handle, and actuated pivotally by the latter to lock the movable aw in its adjusted position, and a stud mounted on said locking member normally concentric with said pivot and projecting oppositely theretrom'ifor ac-v tuating the said member slidably on the handle. j

6.1i wrench,comprising fixed and movablejaws, a handle having yoke arms integral therewith but spaced trom'each other, a web connectingthe arms, a fulcrum elementen said web, a locking --member slidable between said arms and upon the face of the Vweb tor. actuating the movable jaw, and a stud mounted on said locking member nofmally concentric with saidvfulcrum proljectino oupositely from the web for Vactuating the slidable member. Y

7. A wrench comprising lined and movable jaws, a handle, a locking member `for the movable jaw connected slidably with said handle for common actuation, one of said elements having spaced vyoke arms integral therewith, a web integral with said arms, a t'ulcrum element on said web, and the other Velement engaging said arms.

8. A wrench having a vbody provided with transverse and longitudinal slots therethrough and a. jaw integral therewith, Va movable jaw having a shank at right angles thereto movable in said transverse slot and having ratchet teeth formed thereon, a handle movable in .said longitudinal slot and havingyoke arms at one end thereof, a. thin web integral with andy connecting together' .thev said arms, thereby forming a socket, aV pin on said web projecting into an aperture in said-body for pivoting the handle thereon, a spring actuated dog mounted in said 'socket and movable on and with said handie, and teeth formed von said dog tor yengaging said ratchet teeth tor looking said shank and movable aw in fixed positions.

t). A wrench having a body provided Wit'h transverse and longitudinal slots therethrough and a jaw integral therewith, a movable jaw having a shanh at right angles thereto and movable in said transverse slot, said body having a groove in one 'of its walls on the inner surface ot said transverse slot extending partw'ay across said slot and parallel therewith, and said shank having a rib on one ot' its sides parallel therewith but shorter 'than 'the shank, 'tor moving in said groove. a handle having yokel arms at one end, a web connecting said arms and forming with the latter a socket, said handle being movaole laterally in said longitudinal slot, a pin integral with said web pivoting the said handle in a wall ot said body, rack teeth formed on 'said shank, a spring-actuated dog seated in said socket and movable longitudinally therein, teeth Ytormed on said dog for engaging said rack teeth .tor locking said shank and movable jaw in l'ixed positions aud 't'o'r rel-easing the same, said body having an elongated slot in one side, and a headed stud projecting through said slot and rigid with said dog tor zctuat'ing the latter.

lO. A wrench, comprising a 'lined jaw, a movable aw, a handle operatively connected with the movable jaw to adjust the latter, and having yoke arms atone end thereof and a connecting web integral with and lioining said arms thereby forming an open socket, a locking member seated in said socket and actuated by said loke arms, a spring within said 'socket belowsaid locking member tor normally urging the latter upward into interlocking engagement with said movable jaw to maintain the latter in its adjusted position, a pin integralwith said Web near its upper edge and pivoted in said lined jaw member, said locking member having on its upper edge gear teeth comprising straight and curved sections, the latter' formed in an are concentric with said pin when the locking member is in normal position, and the upper end of the handle being oi'iset trom the axis ot' the handle to provide for said concentric relation.

ll. A wrench, comprising body portion provided with a stationary jaw, a movable jaw member on Vsaid body portion, a handle operatively connected with said movable jaw member to adjust the latter relatively to the stationary jaw, l'ulerum means on said handle adjacent its upper edge and said movable jaw member for rocking in an aperture in: said body portion, a looking member slidably mounted on said handle with its major portion extendingl below said fulerum means and a narrow edge portion projecting beyond said' 'tulcrum means, said narrow portion having teeth thereon tor engagement with said movable jaw member, said teeth coii'iprising two sections, one ot' which is straight, and a curved section continuous with the straight section, the latter formed as an arc which is concentric with said fulerum when the locking member is in normal position on said handle,means t'or normally urging said locking member towards the said movable jaw member, and a pin n'xed on said locking member and protruding through a slot in said body portion for manually disengaging said locking member trom the movable jaw.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aiix my signature.

JOHN H. HORSBURGH. 

